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DO NOT use the Hilton Baltimore for Wedding Hotel - They will waste your time.

catishawcatishaw
in Maryland
Summary:  This shook my faith in Hilton hospitality.

I have a lot of experience at Hilton Hotels as traveling consultant, have stayed in many of their hotels in many countries.  Loved them all.  Then this experience shook my faith in Hilton hospitality.  I was looking at the site as a potential wedding base:  big block of rooms, bridal suite, and brunch for 120 guests - aka BIG money, and was treated poorly by the Director of Catering (no confirmation of visit, 30+ minute wait, constant checking of her blackberry during appointment, no follow-up on questions asked).  I  DO NOT RECOMMEND this spot for anyone planning a large event.

Whole Story (likely only to interest brides and other event planners):

We had tried to make an appointment to view the suite and brunch venues and were directed by Sales Manager to make an appointment with the Director of Catering, Manager on Duty, let's call her M.

M did not respond to our requests for an appointment via
email the few days prior to our planned visit to Baltimore and as we
were in the area visiting other wedding vendors, we dropped in at the
Hilton anyways and spoke to concierge.  They informed us that M had been notified we were there and would be down shortly.  We waited
over 30 minutes - during which time the concierge disappeared and we
had no updates.  When a different person came to the un-manned
concierge desk, we explained our situation and he called M who
was down in 5 minutes.

M claimed not to have been notified of our arrival and did not
recall being asked to have an appointment prior to our visit.  Nor did
she stop checking her Blackberry the entire 15 minutes we spent with
her.  She did not provide us with any pricing or catering details (we
asked to see sample brunch options) nor did she offer to follow up
with us on our questions.  It has been 4 days since our visit and I
don't think we will hear from her.  Needless to say, this is not the
sort of treatment I would expect from someone in hospitality,
particularly when the customer is a HHonors Gold member looking to
spend a few thousand dollars.
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Re: DO NOT use the Hilton Baltimore for Wedding Hotel - They will waste your time.

  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    I contacted the Hilton as a possible venue for H and my wedding last July.  I never received any response so needless to say they did not get my business.

    What other venues did you look into?  I live about 30 minutes outside of Baltimore and have done a lot of research on some of the hotels for corporate meetings and such.  If you have any questions about any venue just ask!

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  • ashlidieashlidie member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Wow, two strikes... glad I never needed to contact them lol
    June 2013 - Shoe Inspiration
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  • ashlidieashlidie member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    so it's not letting me edit my post, but wanted to add that these instances are embarassing for anyone in the hospitality industry.  My mother was a DOC for Marriott for 15 years before moving to a different position at the hotel, and the woman was like devoted to ettiquette and people skills and customer service.  They are supposed to be bending over backwards for the client.
    June 2013 - Shoe Inspiration
    imageimage
    Daisypath Wedding tickers
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  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    My feeling is that events/weddings/conferences are how the hotels make their money, not by renting out rooms.  They make their money from selling a crap load of food and beverage/alcohol (so freaking expensive it makes me want to vomit!), so it just amazes me that some hotels don't even return your call or email when you may be willing to spend a crapload of money at their place of business.

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  • msuprincess04msuprincess04 member
    5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper First Comment
    edited June 2012
    I can't really say I'm surprised. We use Hilton a lot when traveling for business or pleasure, and around the country, from Vegas to Florida, we've seen the service drop. We have slowly moved towards bed and breakfasts instead. At least there, they have a much smaller client base and still seem to care about service.
    "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"
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  • sweetart7799sweetart7799 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment
    We booked our reception at Hilton Baltimore. I'm thinking that these negative posts may have really opened their eyes. They responded to all of my emails within 20 to 30 minutes. It's a beautifull space and a shame they were not able to earn your business when you were interested. I'm glad they have changed their attitude!!
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  • EricsBlushingbrideEricsBlushingbride member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Well they were on the new recently about the bonds with the city of Baltimore, my sister was scared to even go there over that mess.
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  • minsu5minsu5 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment Name Dropper
    While I did not ultimately choose the Hilton, their catering staff treated me and my fiance gracefully. In fact, they even treated us out to lunch during our visit. I believe they have stepped up their game and have recognized their faults. What led us to not choose the Hilton was not their staff but for their space. The Marriott's Waterview ballroom was the best room we saw in the inner harbor for our ceremony/reception.

    Sunday, May 18, 2014 - Baltimore, Maryland

    "Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever" - Audre Lorde

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  • barinebarine
    First Comment
    wow what a hot mess
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